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Autocom Microphone with Zumo 550


JMertz

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Hi all. I decided I wanted to fit a mic to my zumo 550 so I could receive phone calls while on the move, with my blackberry bluetoothed to the zumo. So I had an extra speaker / boom mic outfit from my Autocom, and so I took one unit apart and wired the mic to the zumo - a straight through connection. The autocom mics are noise canceling so I thought it might work well. It's been a while since I had the autocom working on one of my bikes, but as I recall there was a momentary lapse from the time you started talking to the time the voice was heard on the other end. Like the mic had a very short "delay" built in somehow. Anyway, I've tried this set up with the blue tooth / blackberry / zumo a few times now and have had pretty mixed results. One time, the other party could hear me well, but most times they couldn't really hear me much at all. So I'm wondering if anyone else has ever tried this and if there are any tips for tweaking for better results. Or if there is an altogether better mic out there that I could use. I've done a little surfing for this but most of what I see / read seems pretty iffy. Seems like with Autocom, the parts themselves are high quality. But I just don't know if you can take their parts and successfully cobble them together with other stuff to make a home-made outfit. And I'm using this with Etymotic earphones, so I can hear GREAT - just people can't hear me to great. Sorta makes conversations one-sided. Oh yeah, I'm using a full face helmet.

 

Anyway, any opinions are welcome, any advice is welcome, any input at all is welcome. Thank you very much.

 

John

 

 

 

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So you are only using the Autocom mic and no other components?

 

The delay you mention is the time for the Vox to detect your voice and switch on the intercom.

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I am utterly amazed that anything at all comes down the Autocom microphone. I understood that, unlike any other comms system on the market, Autocom use an electret microphone rather than a voice coil mike as part of their superior noise cancelling circuitry. This might have an impact on the effects that you are experiencing.

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There are general microphones, and there are specialist microphones.

 

General microphones (or typical microphones) are designed to work with products that are designed to work with general/typical microphone. Product like the 550 will work with general microphones.

 

The Autocom Microphone is a specialist microphone and is tuned to work with our noise cancelling products and so will not normally work well with general products, although it’s sometimes worth a try. The Autocom microphone works at its best when used with our purpose designed noise filter preamps, which also help to reduce helmet noise while boosting speech frequencies.

 

You could use a setup something like this

 

Autocom part 2091 (headset loom with 3.5mm socket for in-ear-speaker-plugs) with an Autocom boom microphone part 2074

 

Autocom part 2134 or 2138 (headset extension lead)

 

Now all you need is a special interface to connect the headset extension lead to the GPS, so that would have two plugs to fit into the GPS microphone and speaker sockets, and a 7 pin socket for our headset extension lead to plug into, plus this would need bike power to power the internal filter-preamp that’s tuned to our special microphone (all housed in a small box). We could perhaps make that for you but probably not before early next year

 

Autocom UK Tom

 

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I have the Zumo 550 and the Autocomm Avi Pro 7 setup using the Autocom Microphone. I could not be happier. It does everything Tom (post above) designed it to do and does it very well.

 

You may be able to jury-rig something else but this works for me.

 

 

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John Bentall and Tom B ...

 

Just as a point of interest, I use an Autocom mic wired through a push to talk circut to an older Kenwood TK-3101 with the audio portion of the radio wired back through a mixer amp and out to ear plug speakers - i.e. no other Autocom product other than the mic. It works perfectly.

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... I'd like to do the same thing. How did you do it? I know ZERO about this stuff.Thanks!

 

I had found a "pig-tail" cable set on-line that plugs into the Kenwood. This allows you to splice in the mic and pushbutton connections and another cable splice for the audio out. Unfortunately I can't remember the supplier, sorry.

 

The hook up is not complex, so I'll continue to look for the cable set supplier and if I do find them I'll send you a PM.

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Hi John

 

The Eurocom was really designed for rider to passenger use, with inputs for stereo music and a bike to bike radio. It was not designed for use with mobile phones but could be used with some.

 

The Eurocom had a 5 pin din socket for each headset to plug into and while the volume was good for use with our standard helmet speakers when used without earplugs, it was barely loud enough for use with earplugs, although it would be OK for use with monitor type, in-ear-speaker-plugs, that could improve its use compared to conventional earplugs.

 

The amplifiers and noise filters would have had a fare amount of hiss which would not normally be heard much while riding and using the standard speakers, but your monitor type in-ear-speaker-plugs will be BRUTISHLY HONEST at enhancing any audio hiss, but again the Eurocom was designed before monitor type earplugs were about and popular.

 

So are our new systems a lot better? Well yes they are, and in many ways that may benefit you, for example;

 

Our new systems are many times better for use with conventional earplugs than before, and now have 7 pin headset connectors which allow for up to 4 times more volume if required for use with earplugs.

 

They all have the latest stereo phone type connectors and virtually no hiss thanks to better pre-amplifiers and main amplifiers and you also now have independent rider and passenger volume controls, so for music and phone use you will notice a MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT, without earplugs, with conventional earplugs and especially with your monitor type in-ear-speaker-plugs.

 

We also now make a choice of headsets and leads that allow for typical monitor earplugs to be plugged in and used.

 

We have 3 systems in the current range; Logic, Logic Independence Wireless and Super Pro Automatic, and we are just about to launch an all new Super Pro Remote Control system.

 

My best advice would be to go for either of the two Super Pro systems rather than the Logic range, because the Super Pro range are far more Hi-Fi and so better for use with your in-ear-speaker-plugs.

 

The Logic range would be better than your old Eurocom, but because the Logic range uses 8 ohm speakers it also has a bass booster to help improve the 8 ohm speaker sound quality, and so may over bass your in-ear-speakers.

 

The Super Pro Range uses our 32ohm speakers that are much more Hi-Fi and so the Super Pro range does not need a bass booster and so will sound better with your monitor earplugs than the Logic.

 

Now to decide on Super Pro Automatic or wait for the new Super Pro Remote control?

 

The Automatic is a fantastic feature for people who do not use earplugs, or in-ear-plugs, because people without earplugs need a fare degree of volume change to help compensate for changing helmet noise conditions, whereas people with conventional earplugs need a much higher volume level, and people with in-ear-speakers just require a much lower sound level, so manual volume works best for use with conventional earplugs or in-ear-speaker plugs.

 

The Super Pro Automatic can have its automatic volume control switched off and used as a manual level control system, but its harder to get to and adjust when under the bikes seat, and sort of OK when used in a tank bag, BUT the new Remote Control system provides you with a neat remote control for the handlebars so that you can easily adjust the rider and/or passenger master volume levels, plus VOX level and music volume if required.

 

The SP-RC will be available from late January 2010 and I would think this is by far your best option.

 

You are not far from our distributor in Milwaukee who is now establishing dealers in the North Central area and I am sure they could arrange for a demo when it is available in a couple or months time.

 

Hope that helps

 

Tom

 

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